ANTI-windfarm campaigners in East Anglia were dealt a blow last night as an influential report said onshore turbines could supply enough energy to power the entire globe 40 times over.
ANTI-windfarm campaigners in East Anglia were dealt a blow last night as an influential report said onshore turbines could supply enough energy to power the entire globe 40 times over.
A host of local pressure groups have sprung up in recent years to resist the march of the masts in rural locations across the county.
Now a team of international scientists has provided new evidence of the potential of wind power to solve the planet's projected power supply shortages.
A study led by Harvard University professor Michael McElroy said a worldwide network of turbines, operating at just one-fifth of their full capacity, would “easily” meet global electricity demand.
It said a combination of land-based and offshore windfarms could generate 32 times the amount of energy needed in Britain, 16 times the power required for the United States, 18 times the need in China and 180 times the need in Russia.
Campaigners in Norfolk were keen not to argue with the findings of the academic research, but said wind power was “unreliable” and called for greater investment in other renewable energy sources, including solar, wave and tidal power.
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